Apparatus and method for detecting hard and soft touch by using acoustic sensors

ABSTRACT

An apparatus and a method for detecting a touch input to a touchscreen and distinguishing between different types of touch inputs are provided. The method includes detecting the input to a touch screen of the terminal, and determining an input type that is input to the touch screen based on characteristics of the input.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for detectingan input to a terminal. More particularly, the present invention relatesto an apparatus and a method for detecting a touch input to atouchscreen and distinguishing between different types of touch inputs.

2. Description of the Related Art

Mobile terminals are developed to provide wireless communication betweenusers. As technology has advanced, mobile terminals now provide manyadditional features beyond simple telephone conversation. For example,mobile terminals are now able to provide additional functions such as analarm, a Short Messaging Service (SMS), a Multimedia Message Service(MMS), E-mail, games, remote control of short range communication, animage capturing function using a mounted digital camera, a multimediafunction for providing audio and video content, a scheduling function,and many more. With the plurality of features now provided, a mobileterminal has effectively become a necessity of daily life.

A mobile terminal according to the related art includes an input meansthat enables a user to input an input to the mobile terminal by a touchor a motion. For example, the mobile terminal may have a display unitconfigured with a touch screen through which the user may input theinput to the mobile terminal.

According to the related art, there are a variety of touch screentechnologies that have different methods of sensing a user's touch. Forexample, touch screen sensing technologies includes a resistive sensingtechnology, a capacitive sensing technology, a surface acoustic wavesensing technology, an infrared sensing technology, optical imagingsensing technology, and an acoustic pulse recognition sensingtechnology.

A touch screen according to the related art includes a plurality ofsensors formed in layers making up the touch screen or formed around theperiphery of the touch screen. The sensors are configured to create andmonitor a grid on the touchscreen according to x and y coordinates. Forexample, when a user touches the touchscreen, the sensors are configuredto determine the x and y coordinates of the touch. The x and ycoordinates may be used by the mobile terminal to determine the inputdesired by the user.

For example, a mobile terminal according to the related art using atouch screen including acoustic pulse recognition sensing technology hasa plurality of acoustic sensors or transducers positioned around theedge of the touch screen. The acoustic sensors detect when a usertouches the touch screen based on the sound created when the usertouches the screen. Based on the detected sound created when a usertouches the touch screen, the mobile terminal determines where the usertouched the screen by triangulating the location at which the soundoriginated (e.g., the location at which the user made contact with thetouch screen). Alternatively, the mobile terminal may compare the inputsfrom the plurality of sensors to a predefined table (e.g., a Look UpTable (LUT)) storing characteristics of sounds created at each locationon a touch screen.

According to the related art, detection of a user's touch on the touchscreen is used for a corresponding function associated with a locationon the touch screen at which the user's touch is detected. In otherwords, a mobile terminal according to the related art does notdistinguish between the type of touch on the touch screen. Rather, amobile terminal according to the related art merely registers thelocation at which a touch occurs.

Accordingly, there is a need for an apparatus and a method for detectinga touch input to a touchscreen and for determining the type of touchinput to the touch screen and/or for distinguishing between differenttypes of touch inputs.

The above information is presented as background information only toassist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determinationhas been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the abovemight be applicable as prior art with regard to the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Aspects of the present invention are to address at least theabove-mentioned problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at leastthe advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the presentinvention is to provide an apparatus and a method for detecting a touchinput to a touchscreen and for determining the type of touch input tothe touch screen and/or for distinguishing between different types oftouch inputs.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a method fordetecting an input to a terminal is provided. The method includesdetecting the input to a touch screen of the terminal, and determiningan input type that is input to the touch screen based on characteristicsof the input.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, an apparatusfor detecting an input to a terminal is provided. The apparatus includesa touch screen comprising a plurality of first sensors, a plurality ofsecond sensors, and a controller for determining, based on datacorresponding to characteristics of the input received from theplurality of second sensors, an input type that is input to the touchscreen.

Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the invention willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detaileddescription, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings,discloses exemplary embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certainexemplary embodiments of the present invention will be more apparentfrom the following description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for detecting an input to aterminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for configuring a terminalto detect an input to a terminal according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe present invention; and

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram schematically illustrating aconfiguration of a mobile terminal according to exemplary embodiments ofthe present invention.

Throughout the drawings, it should be noted that like reference numbersare used to depict the same or similar elements, features, andstructures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings isprovided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of exemplaryembodiments of the invention as defined by the claims and theirequivalents. It includes various specific details to assist in thatunderstanding but these are to be regarded as merely exemplary.Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize thatvarious changes and modifications of the embodiments described hereincan be made without departing from the scope and spirit of theinvention. In addition, descriptions of well-known functions andconstructions are omitted for clarity and conciseness.

The terms and words used in the following description and claims are notlimited to the bibliographical meanings, but, are merely used by theinventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of theinvention. Accordingly, it should be apparent to those skilled in theart that the following description of exemplary embodiments of thepresent invention are provided for illustration purpose only and not forthe purpose of limiting the invention as defined by the appended claimsand their equivalents.

It is to be understood that the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the”include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.Thus, for example, reference to “a component surface” includes referenceto one or more of such surfaces.

By the term “substantially” it is meant that the recited characteristic,parameter, or value need not be achieved exactly, but that deviations orvariations, including for example, tolerances, measurement error,measurement accuracy limitations and other factors known to those ofskill in the art, may occur in amounts that do not preclude the effectthe characteristic was intended to provide.

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention include an apparatus anda method for detecting a touch input to a touchscreen and fordetermining an input type of an input to the touch screen and/or fordistinguishing between different types of touch inputs.

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention couple locationcoordinate data associated with a touch to a touch screen with dataassociated with the input type of an input (e.g., touch event) toenhance functionality of the touch screen. Productivity of the user maybe increased because of the corresponding enhancement in functionality.According to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, theterminal is configured to detect input types (e.g., touch events) at thesame location coordinates (i.e., the terminal may detect the type ofinput and the respective location coordinates of the input) andassociate a different action (e.g., function) based on the input typesof an input (e.g., touch event). In other words, the terminal mayassociate different actions for different types of inputs occurring atthe same location coordinates.

According to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, theterminal may determine input type of an input (e.g., touch event) ordistinguish between input types based on a sound generated by the input(e.g., touch event). For example, knowingly or unknowingly, usersinterface with a touch screen so as to generate inputs (e.g., touchevents) in at least two ways—a soft touch and a hard touch. As anexample, a user may generate a soft touch by making contact with thetouch screen using skin at the bottom of the user's finger. When theuser generates a soft touch by making contact with the touch screenusing, for example, skin at the bottom of the user's finger, a feeblesound is generated based on contact with the touch screen. As anotherexample, a user may generate a hard touch by making contact with thetouch screen using the nail or bone (e.g., knuckle). When the usergenerates a hard touch making contact with the touch screen using, forexample, the nail or bone, a knocking sound is generated based oncontact with the touch screen. A user may also generate a hard touch bymaking contact with the touch screen using the base of the user'sfinger. According to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, ifthe user is cognizant as to how the user interacts with the touchscreen, then additional functionality may be used based on such aninteraction. For example, the difference between the sounds generatedbased on the type of touch may be used to distinguish between a desiredfunction. If the user makes contact so as to generate a feeble sound thecontact may be associated with a predefined function. Conversely, if theuser makes contact so as to generate a knocking sound, the contact maybe associated with another predefined function.

According to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, theterminal may comprise a plurality of acoustic sensors that may becoupled with a touch screen to detect the characteristics of the input(e.g., touch event) on the touch screen. For example, based on the soundcharacteristics of the input (e.g., touch event), the type of touch maybe detected. The sound characteristics may include frequency, amplitude,and/or the like.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for detecting an input to aterminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the terminal detects an input to a touch screen atstep 110. For example, the touch screen may be configured with aplurality of sensors that detect when an input (e.g., a touch event)occurs on a touch screen. The plurality of sensors may include sensorsusing at least one of a resistive sensing technology, a capacitivesensing technology, a surface acoustic wave sensing technology, aninfrared sensing technology, optical imaging sensing technology, anacoustic pulse recognition sensing technology, and the like.

At step 120, the terminal determines a location of the input (e.g., thetouch event) on the touch screen. For example, the location of the inputon the touch screen may be determined as corresponding (x, y) locationcoordinates. According to exemplary embodiments of the presentinvention, the plurality of sensors of the touch screen may include aplurality of first sensors and a plurality of second sensors. As anexample, the plurality of first sensors may be configured to detect thelocation of the input on the touch screen. The plurality of sensors maytransmit data associated with the input (e.g., the touch event) to acontroller which determines the location of the input on the touchscreen.

At step 130, the terminal determines the input type of the input to thetouch screen. For example, the input type of the input to the touchscreen may be determined based on the characteristics of the input.Characteristics of the input may include the sound characteristics ofthe input. For example, the sound characteristics may be the frequency,amplitude, and the like. Based on the characteristics of the input, theterminal may determine whether the input (e.g., the touch event) is asoft touch or a hard touch. For example, the terminal may distinguishbetween input types. According to exemplary embodiments of the presentinvention, the terminal may determine whether the input is a soft touchor a hard touch based on data received form the plurality of sensors.For example, the controller may determine whether the input is a softtouch or a hard touch based on data received from the plurality ofsecond sensors.

According to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, if thecontroller determines that the input is a soft touch, then at step 140the terminal performs a first function associated with a soft touchinput at the location coordinates corresponding to the location at whichthe input occurred on the touch screen. In other words, the terminalperforms a first function associated with the characteristics of theinput (e.g., touch event). The characteristics of the input may berepresented as (x, y, soft touch input type).

According to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, if thecontroller determines that the input is a hard touch, then at step 150the terminal performs a second function associated with a hard touchinput at the location coordinates corresponding to the location at whichthe input occurred on the touch screen. In other words, the terminalperforms a second function associated with the characteristics of theinput (e.g., touch event). The characteristics of the input may berepresented as (x, y, hard touch input type).

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for configuring a terminalto detect an input to a terminal according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, a user may configure a functionality (e.g., thefirst function and the second function) associated with eachcorresponding input type to the touch screen.

At step 210, the terminal is initialized. After the terminal isinitialized, at step 220, the terminal may prompt a user to configurethe functionality associated with a corresponding input type to thetouch screen. For example, the terminal may prompt the user for such aconfiguration according to a user's selection to configure thefunctionality of an input type.

At step 230, the terminal determines whether the user wants to configurethe functionality of an input type. If the terminal determines that theuser wants to configure the functionality of an input type, then at step240 the terminal receives (e.g., detects) the input type which the userwants to configure. For example, the terminal may prompt the user toselect which input type the user wants to configure. The terminal mayprompt the user to select or identify the context in which theconfiguration is to be applied. For example, the user may select toconfigure the functionality for an input type for the context in whichthe terminal is in a locked state. As another example, the user mayselect may select to configure the functionality for an input type forthe context in which the terminal is in an unlocked state. As a furtherexample, the user may select to configure the functionality for an inputtype for the context in which the terminal is operating a specificapplication or type of application. At step 250, the terminal receives aselection of the functionality to be associated with the selected inputtype.

According to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, theterminal may be configured to, based on a input of a specific input typeto the touch screen, unlock or initialize the unlocking of the terminalwhen the terminal is in a locked state. The terminal may also beconfigured to lock a terminal based on an input of a specific input typeto the touch screen when the terminal is in a locked state.

According to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, theterminal may be configured to perform advanced functions when a specificinput type (e.g., a hard touch) is input to the touch screen. Forexample, the terminal may be configured to display a menu when a hardtouch is detected. As another example, the terminal may be configured toperform a function such as a cut operation, a copy operation, a pasteoperation, and the like when a hard touch is detected. The terminal maybe configured to launch an application when a hard touch is detected.

If at step 230 the terminal determines that the user does not want toconfigure the functionality of an input type, then the terminal performsanother function according to user input, at step 260.

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram schematically illustrating aconfiguration of a mobile terminal according to exemplary embodiments ofthe present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, a mobile terminal 300 includes a controller 310, astorage unit 320, a touch screen 330, a plurality of first sensors 340,a plurality of second sensors 350, and an audio-processing unit 360. Asan example, the mobile terminal 300 having such a configuration may loada specific functionality or application upon input of a specific inputtype to the touch screen 330.

According to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the mobileterminal 300 may be configured to define (e.g., associated and/or store)a functionality associated with an input type that is input to themobile terminal 300. The mobile terminal may be configured to define afunctionality associated with an input type and a context in which aspecific input type is input to the mobile terminal 300. The mobileterminal 300 may be so configured based on interaction between a userand the mobile terminal 300 via the touch screen 330. The mobileterminal 300 may be configured such that when a specific input type(e.g., a hard touch event or a soft touch event) is input via the touchscreen 330, the mobile terminal 300 automatically loads a previouslydefined functionality or application associated with the specific inputtype that is input to the mobile terminal 300. Hereinafter, eachcomponent of the mobile terminal 300 will be explained in detail.

The audio processing unit 360 may be formed as an acoustic component.The audio processing unit 360 transmits and receives audio signals, andencodes and decodes the audio signals. For example, the audio processingunit 360 may include a CODEC and an audio amplifier. The audioprocessing unit 360 is connected to a Microphone (MIC) and a Speaker(SPK). The audio processing unit 360 converts analog voice signalsinputted from the Microphone (MIC) into digital voice signals, generatescorresponding data for the digital voice signals, and transmits the datato the controller 310. Further, the audio processing unit 360 convertsdigital voice signals inputted from the controller 310 into analog voicesignals, and outputs the analog voice signals through the Speaker (SPK).Further, the audio processing unit 360 may output various audio signalsgenerated in the mobile terminal 300 through the Speaker (SPK). Forexample, the audio processing unit 360 can output audio signalsaccording to an audio file (e.g. MP3 file) replay, a moving picture filereplay, and the like through the speaker.

The touch screen 330 may operatively display input keys and functionkeys for receiving user input. For example, the touch screen 330 mayinclude input keys and function keys for receiving an input of numbersor various sets of letter information, setting various functions, andcontrolling functions of the mobile terminal 300. For example, the touchscreen 330 may include a calling key for requesting a voice call, avideo call request key for requesting a video call, a termination keyfor requesting termination of a voice call or a video call, a volume keyfor adjusting output volume of an audio signal, a direction key, and thelike. In particular, the touch screen 330 according to exemplaryembodiments of the present invention may transmit to the controller 310signals related to characteristics of the input such as, for example,the location and type of input that is input via the touch screen 330.

The touch screen 330 also displays information inputted by user orinformation to be provided to user as well as various menus of themobile terminal 300. For example, the touch screen 330 may providevarious screens according to a user of the mobile terminal 300, such asan idle screen, a message writing screen, a calling screen, and thelike. As an example, the touch screen 330 can output an interface withwhich a user may interface to configure the functionality of a specifiedinput type and/or the functionality of a an input based on the contextin which the input is input to the mobile terminal 300. The touch screen330 can be formed as a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), an Organic LightEmitting Diode (OLED), an Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode(AMOLED), and the like. However, exemplary embodiments of the presentinvention are not limited to these examples.

The storage unit 320 can store user data, and the like, as well aprogram which performs operating functions according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention. For example, the storage unit 320may store a program for controlling general operation of a mobileterminal 300, an Operating System (OS) which boots the mobile terminal300, and application program for performing other optional functionssuch as a camera function, a sound replay function, an image or videoreplay function, a Near Field Communication (NFC) function, and thelike. Further, the storage unit 320 may store user data generatedaccording to a user of the mobile terminal, such as, for example, a textmessage, a game file, a music file, a movie file, and the like. Inparticular, the storage unit 320 according to exemplary embodiments ofthe present invention may store a table which stores a mapping of inputsand input types with a functionality or application to be loaded upontransition of the mobile terminal 300 to the unlocked state. Forexample, the storage unit 320 may store associations between at leastone input and a predefined functionality or application to beautomatically loaded upon input of the at least one input to the mobileterminal 300. As an example, the storage unit 320 may store associationbetween an input and a predefined functionality such that the input ischaracterized by location coordinates and input type. The input may becharacterized by variables such as (x, y, input type).

According to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the mobileterminal 300 comprises a plurality of sensors. The plurality of sensorsmay comprise a plurality of first sensors 340 and a plurality of secondsensors 350. The plurality of first sensors detect an input to the touchscreen 330. For example, the plurality of sensors may detectcharacteristics of the input to the touch screen 330. The plurality offirst sensors 340 may detect a location of the input and the pluralityof second sensors 350 may detect an input type of the input. Accordingto exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the plurality ofsecond sensors 350 may detect a sound generated by the input, avibration generated by the input, the pressure of the input, and thelike. For example, the plurality of second sensors 350 may be aplurality of acoustic sensors, a plurality of pressure sensors, and thelike. The plurality of second sensors 350 may be positioned on theoutside of the mobile terminal 300. As another example, the plurality ofsecond sensors 350 may be positioned on the bezel of the phone.

According to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the mobileterminal 300 comprises at least one controller 310. The at least onecontroller 310 may control general operation of the mobile terminal 300.For example, the controller 310 may control operation of the variouscomponents or units included in the mobile terminal 300. The controller310 may transmit a signal to the various components included in themobile terminal 300 and control a signal flow between internal blocks ofthe mobile terminal 300. In particular, the controller 310 according toexemplary embodiments of the present invention can control to load(e.g., launch), upon detection of an input, a predefined functionalityor application associated with the input (e.g., including location andinput type) entered via the touch screen 330. To this end, thecontroller 310 may determine, based on data or input received from theplurality of first sensors 340 and the plurality of second sensors 350,the location (e.g., the x and y location coordinates) and the input typeof an input and load the associated functionality or application upondetection of the input based on the associations or mappings stored inthe storage unit 320.

As a non-exhaustive illustration only, a terminal/device/unit describedherein may refer to mobile devices such as a cellular phone, a personaldigital assistant (PDA), a digital camera, a portable game console, andan MP3 player, a portable/personal multimedia player (PMP), a handhelde-book, a portable lap-top PC, a tablet, a global positioning system(GPS) navigation, and devices such as a desktop PC, a high definitiontelevision (HDTV), an optical disc player, a set top box, and the likecapable of wireless communication or network communication consistentwith that disclosed herein.

A method for detecting an input to a terminal according to exemplaryembodiments of the present invention may be implemented in an executableprogram command form by various computer means and be recorded in anon-transitory computer readable recording medium. The computer readablerecording medium may include a program command, a data file, and a datastructure individually or a combination thereof. The program commandrecorded in a recording medium may be specially designed or configuredfor exemplary embodiments of the present invention, or may be known to aperson having ordinary skill in a computer software field.

The computer readable recording medium includes Magnetic Media such ashard disk, floppy disk, or magnetic tape, Optical Media such as CompactDisc Read Only Memory (CD-ROM) or Digital Versatile Disc (DVD),Magneto-Optical Media such as floptical disk, a hardware device such asROM, RAM, flash memory storing and executing program commands, and thelike. Further, the program command includes a machine language codecreated by a compiler and a high-level language code executable by acomputer using an interpreter. The foregoing hardware device may beconfigured to be operated as at least one software module to perform anoperation of exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

As explained above, exemplary embodiments of the present inventioncouple location coordinate data associated with a touch to a touchscreen with data associated with the type of input (e.g., touch event)to enhance functionality of the touch screen. In other words, exemplaryembodiments of the present invention may determine or distinguishbetween a hard touch input and a soft touch input. According toexemplary embodiments of the present invention, the terminal mayassociate different actions or functionality with different input types.According to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, theterminal may use the location coordinates and the input to determinewhich functionality to load.

While the invention has been shown and described with reference tocertain exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention asdefined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for detecting an input to a devicecomprising: providing a prompt to select a user configurable input type;receiving a user input, which defines a function with the input type, afirst function being defined with a soft touch input type and a secondfunction being defined with a hard touch input type; detecting an inputto a touch screen of the device via a plurality of acoustic sensors;determining the type of the input based on an acoustic characteristic ofthe input detected via the plurality of acoustic sensors; and performingthe defined function based on the type of the input, wherein thecharacteristic of the input distinguishes between a touch input from afingertip and a knuckle.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein defining thefunction with the input type is user configurable.
 3. The method ofclaim 1, wherein defining the function with the input type includes acontext of the input.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the input typeis determined based on physical characteristics of the input.
 5. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the detecting of the input to the touchscreen includes determining a location on the touch screen at which theinput occurred.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first functioncorresponds to a function associated with the location at which theinput occurred.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining ofwhether the input is the hard touch or the soft touch includes detectinga sound generated by the input to the touch screen.
 8. The method ofclaim 7, wherein a plurality of acoustic sensors positioned around thetouch screen detect the sound generated by the input, and wherein acontroller determines whether the input is the hard touch or the softtouch.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the second function correspondsto a function associated with an advanced function.
 10. The method ofclaim 9, wherein the advanced function includes at least one ofinitiating unlocking of the device, or initiating display of a menu. 11.A device comprising: a touch screen; a plurality of acoustic sensors;and a controller configured to: provide a prompt to select a userconfigurable input type, receive a user input, which defines a functionwith the input type, a first function being defined with a soft touchinput type and a second function being defined with a hard touch inputtype, detect an input to a touch screen of the device via the pluralityof acoustic sensors, determine the type of the input based on anacoustic characteristic of the input detected via the plurality ofacoustic sensors, and perform the defined function based on the type ofthe input, wherein the characteristic of the input distinguishes betweena touch input from a fingertip and a knuckle.
 12. The device of claim11, wherein the defining of the function with the input type is userconfigurable.
 13. The device of claim 11, wherein the defining of thefunction with the input type includes a context of the input.
 14. Thedevice of claim 11, wherein the controller is further configured todetermine the input type based on physical characteristics of the inputdetected by the audio sensor.
 15. The device of claim 14, wherein thecontroller is further configured to determine whether the input is thehard touch or the soft touch according to sound generated by the inputto the touch screen.
 16. The device of claim 15, wherein the audiosensor comprises a plurality of audio sensors positioned around thetouch screen and are configured to detect the sound generated by theinput.
 17. The device of claim 11, wherein the controller is furtherconfigured to determine, based on data received from the touch screen, alocation on the touch screen at which an input occurred.
 18. The deviceof claim 17, wherein the first function corresponds to a functionassociated with a location at which the input occurred.
 19. The deviceof claim 11, wherein the second function corresponds to a functionassociated with an advanced function.
 20. The device of claim 19,wherein the advanced function includes at least one of initiatingunlocking of the device, or initiating display of a menu.
 21. Anon-transitory computer readable storage medium, including instructionsexecutable by a processor, the instructions comprising: providing aprompt to select a user configurable input type; receiving a user input,which defines a function with the input type, a first function beingdefined with a soft touch input type and a second function being definedwith a hard touch input type; detecting an input to a touch screen ofthe device via a plurality of acoustic sensors; determining the type ofthe input based on an acoustic characteristic of the input detected viathe plurality of acoustic sensors; and performing the defined functionbased on the type of the input, wherein the characteristic of the inputdistinguishes between a touch input from a fingertip and a knuckle.